Palmdale, California Comments

"It's not a family friendly place"

It's not a family friendly place - 6/6/2010

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John

For my family it was nice living for 12 years. Now we are moving and living behind our house because nobody cares to protect our neighborhood from teenage thugs. In our case they were all girls. The city keeps these things as a secret. They only report Section 8 crimes. The media will never report it and once you move to Palmdale you become trapped. You have this beautiful house and for a reason. You'll never go out. You can't look outside your windows, so view is not important. You won't be enjoying your backyard, so don't waste your money on landscaping. Bottom line, if you want to move to Palmdale with small children, don't! There is no safe place for them to grow up. I tried to post reviews and write numerous letters to tell many people how really life in Palmdale looks like but nobody would publish it. Palmdale right now is only east side and Rancho Vista. The west side of Palmdale has been decimated.

I live in West Palmdale, right by the mall and i just love it. The area is in need of more restaurants, preferably steak houses, a good old fashion Chinese restaurant and bbq places but it has everything else. Kid parks are limited and public pools too but they don't get too over crowded, at least when i've gone. The mall is nice, nothing special. For the most part, west palmdale is the place to be. It's comfortable; grade schools are nice; most people are nice; neighborhoods are quiet. Weekends can be a pain to shop since people from all over come out to shop but its not to bad, just have to be patient. i haven't become a victim to any of the popular crimes of palmdale and i've lived here for a year. i think cops are doing a great job at keeping the peace.

Our crime rate here in LA County is high as County Law Enforcement does not allow qualified citizens who apply to carry concealed weapons. In geographic areal where vetted, trained solid citizens who understand the responsibilities and serious dangers of breaking the laws, are not allowed to legally carry concealed weapons (CCW) The crime rate is lower where this is allowed as criminals tend to go to safe areas.

Climate: all four seasons
Housing market: Low and you can buy a large property for great price.
Downtown Lancaster CA on the BLVD, spectacular outside farmers market, bowling alley underground at Becks Restaurant, Palmdale Mall, mountain biking, hiking, family clubs, commuter train to Downtown L.A., wine farm, 50 min to Moutain High ski area. Last but not least, best date shakes at Charlie Brown's.

I know this city has gotten a bad rap over the years but I live here with my husband and 3 children and we really like it. I have lived in Santa Clarita and the valley and I have to say that this place beats those. We live on the west side and there are beautiful homes here that the average family can actually afford. There are parks, tons of restaurants, movie theatres, shopping, etc. They have beefed-up the sheriffs in the area and so the crime is minimal and they have a junior college and 4 year college close by in Lancaster. The air is cleaner, the houses aren't on top of each other. You can take a one hour car drive to the beach, the mountains or anywhere in between and the cost of living compared to other areas is much less.
Palmdale used to have a great amount of section 8 housing, but that has also changed. My only two complaints are jobs and schools. In the future, I am hoping that more companies will move this way so that people don't have to commute and the schools need some help, too. Right now, we are planning on putting our kids in private school.

Unless you are planning to fry your brain with drugs and live among meth labs than this is your place. Otherwise you will be treated like one, specially by law enforcement, if getting pulled over by cops and believe me, you will because the cops have nothing better to do. For every little thing its no warning, you will get a ticket and just like any where else in California,Revenue for the state. Specially in the AV, the mayor of Lancaster RX Parris has ordered to issue as many citations as they can for city cash and charge people with DUI's and arrest many innocent persons so they can have a clean image of what really a dumpy shit hole this is. The first thing the cops will always ask is if you have any warrants, automatically assuming that you are a criminal. Thanks to all the money from DUI charges, there are checkpoints all over the place every other week or so ensuring a steady flow of cash to the city, making families loose their jobs and their homes which makes the antelope valley a high percentage in foreclosures.
So that is one thing to look foward if you are a hard working individual like me.
Do not have your kids raised here. There are to many wannabe gang members and it seems like everybody does not know how to drive a vehicle.
Pretty much everybody in the AV is brain dead, from judges to doctors to law enforcement to city officials. The ones that you expect to do the right decisions.
I lived in that shit hole for 9 years and are far the worst 9 years of my life.

I was born in Los Angeles and 36 years later, I discovered a priceless gem in this wonderful desert city known as Palmdale. This is the place to get away from the caustic traffic that is so popular in Los Angeles city. The people here are more friendly and welcoming than my L.A counterparts. The houses are very spacious and quite inexpensive. The weather is usually a little more extreme than Los Angeles, varying from high winds to dry heat.It makes for many interesting conversations within the community.
I will continue buying homes in the Palmdale area. I am here for good!

For my family it was nice living for 12 years. Now we are moving and living behind our house because nobody cares to protect our neighborhood from teenage thugs. In our case they were all girls. The city keeps these things as a secret. They only report Section 8 crimes. The media will never report it and once you move to Palmdale you become trapped. You have this beautiful house and for a reason. You'll never go out. You can't look outside your windows, so view is not important. You won't be enjoying your backyard, so don't waste your money on landscaping. Bottom line, if you want to move to Palmdale with small children, don't! There is no safe place for them to grow up. I tried to post reviews and write numerous letters to tell many people how really life in Palmdale looks like but nobody would publish it. Palmdale right now is only east side and Rancho Vista. The west side of Palmdale has been decimated.

I have lived in Palmdale for 12 years. We lived in a quiet neighborhood on the west side. For years stories of people having problems with their neighbors/ neighbor’s children were floating around. We considered ourselves lucky. Now we are moving and leaving our house behind due to safety issues. We are leaving because we are still alive and want to remain as such. Our neighborhood has been infested with unruly teenagers. It started with a small act of vandalism. When I told them to don’t come back, not only they did come back, they did it with a force of probably 20 kids their age. This is their new spot now. And their new game of intimidation. Trash, damages, foul language, rudeness, disrespect for our personal property. Our children can’t play outside anymore. We are locked up behind walls and the blinds are pulled down all the time. Our neighbors the same. This has become our new view. These girls between the ages 12-16 have no respect for anyone or anything and most of them live in the neighborhood.
If you want to move here, be advised this or something similar could become your horrific experience as well. First, check how often the house was sold before. If it’s 2 times in the past 10 year, you’ve got a problem. If neighboring houses were sold 2 times in the past 10 years, you’ve got a problem. If you are buying a foreclosure don’t just expect that the people who left just didn’t have the money. The number one reason for foreclosures in Palmdale is bad neighborhoods, money is the second reason. If you are buying a house that is priced low, there is a reason behind it as well. The law enforcement is busy with Section 8 criminals and gangs and it doesn’t have time for the rest of us. Besides, hanging out and intimidating citizens is not illegal. So, if you are looking for a safe place for your family to live in, Palmdale is not the place.

Palmdale has grown in the past four years. it use to be better before. we had alot of people move up here, from Los Angeles, and the valley. They bought their gang mentality with them. Not all but majority. It has been a cultural to all that were born and reaised here.

I love the peace and quiet of Palmdale and how close we are to the mountains for hiking, snowboarding, camping and just for getting away. It's only an hour or so from Los Angeles and the beaches and there is plenty of nature. Personally I like the serenity of the desert.

I have lived in Palmdale for many years. I am originally from Des Moines, IA and have lived in several other locations in Southern CA.
I never truly appreciated Palmdale until I became a parent. Palmdale is a very family oriented city with many things for the kids to do through Parks and Recreation. For very reasonable prices you can sign your kids up for just about any sport or fun activity. My daughter recently took culinary arts courses through Parks & Rec in Quartz Hill. The Palmdale Playhouse offers live theatre as well as other events thoughout the year timed for the seasons. The concert in the park series is wonderful for the entire family. There is much to offer for family entertainment between both the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale and we look for those events to attend.
The climate in Palmdale is a consistent scorching in the summer months with a nice side of sand storm that is actually just called "wind" here. The winter gets quite chilling and we have been known to occasionally get an inch or two of snow. Of course, that snow has dried up by the next day for some more sun. Spring and fall months here are very nice. Spring can get pretty windy but temperature is quite pleasant. The desert landscape is beautiful and you haven't seen a sunset until you have seen the desert sunset, known to be the most beautiful in the world.
The cost of living is soemwhat better which is why the population boom over the years. You get more house for your buck here. We live in a beautiful and quiet west side community on a golf course. In the summer months, you can hear the frogs and crickets loud at night. It beats the sound of traffic! The stars I see from my balcony are amazing. There is something to say for living in a less congested area. I wake up to a clean and gorgeous mountain view every day.
I don't see a crime problem where I am. I am a walker and a cyclist and do many many miles while in the dark all over the westside of town. The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster have really cracked down on the gang problems that are on the east side of both towns. I read about it all in the paper, but in 25+ years, have never experienced any crime in the AV first hand.
My children are fortunate to be attending elementary school in the Westside Union School District. I live smack in the middle of the number 1 and number 2 elementary schools in LA County.
I love the lack of traffic. I love the fact that I don't have to wait hours for a table at a restaurant. I love our clean air. I love my neighborhood. I love that Palmdale offers so much to families with young children. We have every restaurant we need. There are things to do. There is culture and there are plenty of offerings for worship. This is a nice community. Everywhere you go, there is good and there is bad. Look for the good. You will find it in Palmdale.

Palmdale and Lancaster are basically sister cities. The boundaries are blurry and the temperature/wind are the same. Really the only difference is Palmdale has the mall and Lancaster has the minor league baseball team. Either way heres the low down.
Eastside of either town is considered "the bad part of town" westside is considered the "good side of town".
Reality check; The eastside has older homes/apartments the westside has newer tract homes. Gas is expensive, Taxes are high, Sheriffs are worse than police, Hot in summer (110) and cold in winter (9 degrees). Windy most of the time up to 60mph sometimes, not much really happens here so if the sheriffs are called out, THEY ALL SHOW UP! Only an hour away from Downtown LA, not much to do most the time (too hot cold or windy) Above average schools for elementary and middle schools. High schools here i'm told suck.

I have lived in the Antelope Valley my whole life. I am now 30, but I went through the public school system here and I remember having wonderful teachers from elementary school through high school! I am now married with children and live in a decent neighborhood in west Palmdale. My children currently go to one of the best schools in west Palmdale in my opinion. I am so elated with their teachers and the school program. I understand there are concerns about the crime rate, but according to a recent article by the Daily News the crime is at a 7 year low in the AV. Mostly due to stronger police presence and cracking down on the gangs. As for the weather, I love it here! I feel like we definitely get 4 seasons, but without all the hassel of several inches of snow during the winters. I like Palmdale and think it offers great recreation programs and there are several things to do such as the water park, Mulligans (a fun center for kids), Concerts in the park... not to mention all the major theme parks like Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm as well as the major beachers are only an hour or two away. There are some bad areas out here, but that is going to be the case anywhere you live. I believe it's all about what part of town you live in and who you associate with that makes what city you are living in live up to your standards.

Palmdale (and Lancaster) are wonderful, inexpensive places to live in Los Angeles County. Homes are affordable and quality of life is very good overall. The commute is probably the only downside, depending upon where you work. However, there are a variety of ridesharing options including carpools, vanpools and the metrolink. I moved out here in 1993 as it was the only place in which I could afford a nice home and I have never regretted it.

I live in the high desert comunity of Palmdale and it's very dry,hot during the summer, but in the winter we can actually get snow of course it does not last very long but it's a lot of fun. We have a lot of wind here, because of the hot air trying to get over the mountains and meeting up with the cooler air of the san fernando valley it can really get windy espcially in the summer evenings but it also helps to cool things off.
we have very little greenary because of the climate here so I do miss the green plants.

I have lived in this area my whole life and it has been sold out for Section 8 housing. Everyone I know agrees that the local government official agreed to move every gang ridden, ghetto neighborhood up here from LA and San Fernando in order to make those more desirable areas because the property is worth more down there. The crime, and just a general feeling of fear in this valley is outrageous. So amny people that have moved here have NO pride for neighborhoods or community in general. It's a dirty,violent, and depressing place to be and it's only getting worse.

I have lived in Palmdale's west side since 1991. My job was transferred here from the LA area and until then I had never heard of Palmdale. I have seen this community grow and grow. Along with this growth problems of modern day life in a big city has followed. However, this is still a great place to live. Palmdale is close to the greater LA area, allowing us to be part of any event in the big city.
Clean air, excellent recreation, activities and shopping makes living here a pleasure.